


Of Valentine's (not?) dates and oblivious boys

by LeeGale



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Cute boys, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, How Do I Tag, Jealousy, M/M, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, a little bit, a little bit of hurt/comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:07:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29425743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeeGale/pseuds/LeeGale
Summary: Akira invited Mishima over to hang out on Valentine's day, and his reason for doing so flies right over Mishima's head...
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Mishima Yuuki, Kurusu Akira/Mishima Yuuki, Mishima Yuuki/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Of Valentine's (not?) dates and oblivious boys

Mishima hummed to himself as he cleaned the counters in his kitchen, relaxing in the mid-February evening. The music playing on his phone echoed around the room as the setting sun bathed everything in a soft, delicate light. It was... peaceful, for lack of a better word, and exactly what Mishima needed. It meant he was away from the constant reminders that it was almost Valentine's day, that he was alone, that Akira would never-

_ Ding _ .

Mishima's phone beeping with a notification startled him, dragging him away from his wandering thoughts. It was a good distraction, it meant he wasn't left alone to think about how Akira didn't-

_ Speak of the devil, and he shall call, _ Mishima thought when he realised who had texted him, smiling despite himself. He was quick to read the message, only to blink in surprise. Akira was... Akia was inviting him to hang out the next day. Not only was it weird for Akira to text first (despite it being over a year since Mishima finally accepted that they were friends, Akira rarely reached out first), but for him to invite Mishima to hang out on Valentine's day? Why would he...? Whatever, Mishima was probably overthinking it. Akira probably just wanted to chill with a friend and forget that he was single for a while. It probably meant nothing. I mean, there was no way Akira liked Mishima back. It was impossible... So, rather than dwelling on the thought, Mishima made himself reply.

** Me: Sure! Where and when? **

As soon as the message was sent, Mishima had to fight to not just throw his phone across the room. Shit. It... Akira probably didn't actually mean to invite  _ him _ to hang out. He'd probably meant to text someone else and now he'd feel awkward and then he'd have to tell Mishima that it was a case of texting the wrong person and-

_ Akira: About 10? At LeBlanc? _

Huh. Okay, he didn't tell Mishima that he'd just texted the wrong person. That meant he'd probably meant to ask the blue teen... Mishima couldn't fight the soft flush that dusted his cheeks, but he ignored it in favour of replying, saying he was fine with that. As the three little dots that indicated Akira was typing bounced in their place, Mishima sighed to himself. Damn his persistent, unrequited crush. Akira would never feel the same way, so all his feelings did was hurt. They reminded him that he wasn't good enough, that he'd never be, that he was just a waste of space-

_ Akira: See you then :P _

The little emoticon tacked onto the end of Akira's message made Mishima smile despite himself, heart fluttering at just how adorable Akira could be... Leaning against his counter and not bothering to smother the blush dusting his cheeks, Mishima texted back.

** Me: See you then! **

=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=

The next morning, Mishima found himself arriving at Leblanc a little later than planned. The first train he'd planned to catch had been heaving, too full for him to even hope to squeeze onto it, so he'd had to wait half an hour for the next one. Of course, he couldn't help but panic, concerned that Akia would be annoyed at him for being late or that Akira had found someone else to hang with or-

The bell to the cafe jingled when Mishima pushed the door open finally, his cheeks pink with both the cold and exertion from hurrying through crowded streets. Thankfully, LeBlanc wasn't too crowded, even if it was busier than normal, and Mishima was easily able to spot Akira working away behind the counter. Which... Well, it made sense that Akira invited Mishima to hang out if he was also going to be working, but it also put a dampener on Mishima's mood. Sure, he knew it wasn't going to be a date, but he'd hoped he'd be able to spend some proper time with Akira all the same... Oh well. He was lucky Akira had invited him at all, and seeing Akira in his adorable apron at least partially made up for the fact that they weren't going to be able to hang out properly. At least, that was what Mishima told himself... Rather than dwell on that, Mishima patiently waited for the line to the til to dwindle, beaming at Sojiro when he finally got to the front and greeting the man with a bright, "Hello!"

"Hey, Mishima. You here on a date or something?" Sojiro asked, smiling slightly. His words made Mishima fluster, even though he knew that he was just going to hang out with Akira, that it wasn't a date, that it never could be like that-

"I invited him over. Before you roped me into working," Akira piped up, rolling his eyes at Sojiro's amused huff before focusing on Mishima. The bluenette was just stood there, hesitant and unsure, until Akira smiled softly (fondly, some small part of Mishima cawed before he shut it down) and murmured, "Hey. Sorry about this, Sojiro made me agree to help out while I was too tired and vulnerable to say no."

"Uh, it's fine..." Mishima lied, ignoring how his heart stuttered at the realization that Akira had been planning to actually hang out with him and not just use him for entertainment whilst working. Akira didn't seem too pleased about his situation, even as he made Mishima a coffee and suggested he stayed sat at the bar, that was, if he was okay with staying anyway... Mishima couldn't help but smile at Akira's fumbling, even as he wondered why Akira seemed so... shy, for lack of a better word, before replying, "If it's no bother..."

"None at all, kid. Sorry for keeping Akira from your date," Sojiro stated, smirking slightly when Mishima flushed bright red and started to splutter. Before the bluenette could embarrass himself, though, he was distracted by Akira pressing his coffee into his hand. Like, actually pressing it into his hand, cupping both of his own around Mishima's and holding him like that for a few long seconds. It made Mishima's brain short circuit, even when Akira had let go... Of course, he forced himself to pull it together, sitting on a stool and taking a sip of his coffee, trying to decipher why Akira was being so... weird as of late. It made no sense... He really couldn't understand it-

"As soon as this rush is over with, you two can do whatever you want," Sojiro's voice stole Mishima's attention, even though he knew the message was mostly for Akira. Thankfully, though, neither of the working pair paid him any mind, so he was able to let his mind wander...

Over the next couple of hours, Mishima made his way through three cups of coffee as he waited for Akira to finish his shift. The younger teen repeatedly apologised for 'their plans being side-tracked' (something that was kind of confusing, since Mishima had no idea what plans Akira meant), but Mishima waved him off, saying that it gave him a chance to catch up on the Phansite. Although the Phantom Thieves had disbanded over a year prior, Mishima had kept the site up, using it instead as a safe haven for anyone who needed it. So, instead of having to sort through requests for the Phantom Thieves to steal one person or another's heart, Mishima had to dish out advice and help people in all sorts of situations...

Mishima was distracted from where he'd been attempting to help a man get away from his abusive girlfriend by Akira taking his cup away with a surprisingly fond, "You drink too much caffeine, Yuuki..."

"I need caffeine to live the same way you need air to, Akira," Mishima joked absentmindedly, already focusing on the advice he was typing up. It earned him a quiet chuckle from Akira as the taller teen took his cup to the sink, washing it out quickly before appearing next to him. It would have startled Mishima if he weren't used to how freakishly silent Akira could be... Instead of being spooked by that, though, Mishima was distracted by the way Akira leaned down over his shoulder, so close he could feel Akira's breath on his cheek. It made him tense, blushing and heart hammering so loud that he almost missed it when Akira said his shift was done. Almost. Mishima was able to pull himself together enough to stutter out slightly, "I... Let me finish this then... then we can do whatever you planned..."

Akira hummed a note of consent, pulling away in favour of going to get his coat. The mention of needing his coat confused Mishima, but the teen shoved those thoughts away. Instead, he made sure to finish up the post he was working on quickly, rereading it a couple of times to make sure he'd made no mistakes before posting it. Akira was still upstairs (probably debating with Morgana if the cat was going to join them on their adventure or not), so Mishima took the chance to use the bathroom. However, when he left the bathroom, he froze in his tracks...

Akira had changed his outfit. Gone were the pretty ratty jeans he'd worn before, replaced with sinfully tight ripped black jeans. The loose black and white tee he'd donned before had been swapped out for what looked like a plain black tee, topped off with a too-large navy jumper that just screamed soft and hung off of his shoulder. His usual trainers had been ousted by a pair of black combat boots, and it was all capped off by a gorgeous black leather jacket... If Mishima didn't know better, he'd have said Akira was dressed for a date. But that was unlikely. Unless he had plans to meet with someone once he was done hanging out with Mishima... The bluenette's heart ached at the thought, but he smiled and greeted Akira with a bright, "Ready to go?"

"Sure," Akira replied, holding out Mishima's phone for him. The bluenette couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like, to have a real date with Akira, but he shoved that thought away in favour of slipping his phone into his back pocket and suggesting they left. As they did, Sojiro sent them a look Mishima couldn't even begin to decipher...

Once they were in the street, Akira started to lead Mishima, silent as they walked. Despite the knowledge that Akira was normally pretty quiet, Mishima could barely keep from fidgeting, something about how Akira was dressed, how he'd been acting as of late and the fact that he'd invited Mishima out on  _ Valentine's day _ of all days making the bluenette's anxiety ramp up. He didn't know what to do or say. It... It almost felt like they were on a date, but that was impossible! There was no way Akira could ever like him, he was just... him! He wasn't good enough-

"So, where are we going?" Mishima asked, finally caving under the silence as he and Akia arrived at the train station. It was just as crowded as it had been when Mishima had been there hours prior, if not more so, but Akira didn't seem to mind. Of course, Mishima did, the crowd making his skin crawl as he unconsciously moved closer to Akira. His actions didn't go unnoticed as Akira frowned down at him, but he didn't see that, too focused on trying to remain calm... For a long moment, Akira seemed unsure, but he soon clasped Mishima's left hand in his right and leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"We don't need to go anywhere if you're uncomfortable, Yuuki..." the sound of Akira's voice, so low and so intimate, and the feel of his breath against his ear made Mishima blush even brighter than he'd already started to when Akira had taken his hand, so it took the bluenette a moment to pull himself together enough to reply...

"I... I'm fine. Just... Talk to me? To... To distract me?" Mishima eventually replied, looking up at Akira and trying to shove his feelings into a box. It didn't matter to Akira, probably, he was just trying to be a good friend. He didn't need to deal with Mishima's unwanted feelings, especially when he was just trying to be a decent person-

"Sure," Akira agreed easily, leaning down again so it'd be easier for Mishima to hear him. The bluenette barely suppressed the shiver that tried to wrack his body, shoving his reaction down as Akira murmured into his ear, "I was thinking we could go to Akihabara first, since you mentioned that you wanted to get some new manga? Then there's a new exhibit in the planetarium? If you want, obviously..."

Mishima raised an eyebrow at the plan, surprised Akira had even planned that much, but nodded quickly. Akira smiled brightly at that as he started to ramble about some new movie he'd seen recently...

When their train finally arrived, Akira made sure they got a spot near a wall, keeping himself between the worst of the crowd and Mishima as the bluenette in question pressed himself as close to the side as he could. It made something in Mishima purr, pleased at how protective Akira was, but he shoved that down in favour of trying to relax. It was too loud for them to talk properly, so Mishima couldn't use Akira's voice to distract him from the noise surrounding them. Which meant he was stuck, drowning in all the noise and his thoughts and-

"Hey, Yuuki, focus on me," Akira murmured, suddenly closer than he had been previously, practically glued to Mishima's front as he leaned down to whisper in the bluenette's ear. It distracted Mishima just enough as he blushed, his attention jumping from his mounting panic to the warmth Akira offered, to how he could feel the muscles hidden under Akira's clothes dance, to how freaking close they were-

"I've got you..." Akira's voice was soft, only audible to Mishima, as he curled one arm around the smaller teen's waist and used the other to hold onto a strap to keep himself upright. It was... It was a lot, and Mishima found himself burying his face in Akira's unconsciously, trying to hide his blush. Thankfully, Akia didn't realise that, assuming that Mishima was just seeking comfort and whispering to him, "I've got you..."

Mishima could barely bring himself to believe what was happening, even as he clung to Akira for the rest of the journey. It felt like they were in some kinda manga or something... And he couldn't focus on anything except Akira, from Akira's soft voice in his ear and the warmth his offered, to the long, hard length of his body pressed against Mishima's own and how his the muscles of his arms felt around Mishima's waist-

Of course, they had to arrive at their destination eventually, and as soon as they did, they parted. However, much to Mishima's surprise, Akira intertwined their fingers as soon as they were on the street. He couldn't fight the blush that dusted his cheeks, even as he reasoned that Akira was probably just making sure they didn't get separated. Yeah, that made sense. At least, it made more sense than the only other option... Rather than over-thinking everything, Mishima smiled up at Akira and asked, "Are there any specific stores you want to check out?"

When Akira shook his head, muttering something about letting Mishima decide where they went, the bluenette in question smiled. Akira was so nice, letting Mishima decide where they went to hang out... Which was how, soon enough, the pair found themselves at Mishima's favourite manga store as the bluenette babbled to Akira about a manga series he'd gotten into recently.

"I watched the anime a while back, but I could never find the manga anywhere, you know? But the owner of this shop said they were ordering some copies in, so I've been coming by every once in a while to see if it's in stock... I think you'd like it, actually! It's about this ex-assassin called Train, and he and his partner Sven meet this girl Eve and... Wait, I shouldn't give you any spoilers. I-"

As Mishima rambled, he led Akira to the back of the store, waving at the woman working at the desk as he did. She waved back, although the way she eyed Akira openly made Mishima more than a little annoyed... Of course, Mishima had no claim over his friend, so he shoved his feelings down whilst the woman got up and walked over, greeting him and Akira with a bright, "Hey! Can I help you guys?"

"No, we're fine, Marie. Thanks for the offer, though..." Mishima replied, ignoring how he just wanted to tug Akira away in favour of being polite. Of course, it was just his luck that Marie didn't seem to recognise his jealousy as she focused on Akira and smiled at him, asking him if he had anything he needed. When Akira hesitated, Mishima couldn't help but sigh, well aware of the fact that Akira would probably prefer to hang out with Marie... Even Mishima, in all his gay glory, could admit that Marie was unfairly pretty, so he knew that Akira would probably be taken in by her looks... Sighing to himself, Mishima let go of Akira's hand, shoving both of his own in his pockets and faking a smile as he forced out a polite, "I'll go... look for what I'm here for. You two have a nice chat..."

As he turned, ready to track down his manga and drown his sorrows in the story whilst Akira flirted with yet another good looking person, he found himself being stopped in his tracks. A soft hand clasped around his wrist, gentle in a way only Akira had ever been with him, and kept him from walking off... Mishima paused, frowning in confusion, before turning back to his friend. Akira looked... concerned, for lack of a better word, and anxious, which made absolutely no sense. Why would he? He had a chance to hang out with an attractive woman. Hell, Mishima was  _ letting  _ him, even though they were supposed to be the ones spending time together! He had no reason to look so worried... He-

"I'll come with you," Akira insisted, smiling slightly as he tugged Mishima's hand out of his pocket and let his own slide down to tangle their fingers together. It startled Mishima, earning Akira several quick blinks and a head tilt from the bluenette, but Akira didn't let go, instead smiling softly at Mishima before telling Marie, "It was nice to meet you, but I'm going to join Yuuki while he looks for his manga."

Marie raised an eyebrow, glancing between both boys and their joined hands, before breaking out into a bright smile and declaring, "Oh, I'm so sorry for flirting with your boyfriend, Mishima! Have a good Valentine's, you two..."

At that, Mishima spluttered and blushed, shaking his head as he argued that it wasn't a date, that they were just friends, that Akira would never see him like that-

"Have a good day too," Akira replied, not bothering to even try to persuade Marie that she was wrong as he smiled and led Mishima away. Of course, that just confused Mishima all the more. Akira was being so... weird, and Mishima had no idea what to make of it. First, he invited him to hang out on Valentine's. Then, he'd acted dressed so nicely. He'd held Mishima's hand. He hadn't even tried to argue when Marie assumed they were on a date! None of it made sense! All it did was give Mishima hope for something that could never happen... It just made the bluenette's heart ache for the one thing he could never have-

"Hey..." Akira's voice was soft, concerned, when he stopped in a dark corner of the shop, drawing Mishima close, "I... You... Are you okay?"

"Of course!" Mishima lied, feigning a smile as he tried to take his hand from Akira's grip. The keyword being tried... Akira wouldn't let go, a frown tugging at his brow as he eyed Mishima carefully. It made the bluenette feel vulnerable, like he was an open book, so he did his best to keep his expression in place. But it didn't work. Akira had always been the only person who could always see through his lies...

"I... You know I'd never flirt with anyone else, right?" Akira asked, and well, wasn't that just even more confusing.  _ Anyone else? _ What the hell did that mean? Akira was... It sounded like Akira was saying he'd flirt with Mishima, and only Mishima. But that didn't make sense! He didn't flirt with Mishima! And... And it didn't matter if he flirted with other people. They weren't together, Mishima held no claim over Akira, they were just friends-

Akira cupped Mishima's cheek with his free hand when the bluenette took too long to answer, frown still firmly in place. It made Mishima tense, his breath catching in his throat and his heart stuttering over a beat. He... He had no idea where this was going... Especially not when Akira kept looking at him like that, soft and concerned yet so sweet and fond... With a quiet sigh, Akira stepped closer to Mishima, their forehead's a hairsbreadth apart as he whispered, "Yuuki, I'd never flirt with anyone else. Especially not while we're on a date."

_ A date? _

Mishima's brain screeched to a halt as he processed Akira's words. They... They weren't on a date. Akira had just invited him to hang out! Mishima would have known if it were a date! He... Frowning to himself, his heart hammering in his chest and his mind swirling, Mishima rasped out a confused, apprehensive, scared, "I... We... We're not on a date?"

In an instant, Akira changed. The warmth that had been in his eyes, soft and welcoming, became cold and guarded as he pulled away, letting go of Mishima completely. It left the bluenette feeling bereft, but he didn't get the chance to say anything. No, instead he was cut off by Akira, his voice shaking and vulnerable as he asked, "We're not?"

"I... I thought we were just hanging out..." Mishima breathed, brow furrowing further. He felt... cold, as Akira eyed him silently for a few long moments. He... He couldn't help but feel as if he'd made some huge mistake, like he'd fucked up somehow, like Akira was mad- The teen in question sighing and running a hand through his hair distracted him, but it was the look on Akira's face that got to him. Akira just looked so... heartbroken, even as he tried to hide it behind a mask of indifference. He hadn't tried to mask his emotions around Mishima in a long time... He-

"I should have known... I mean, there's no way you would have  _ actually _ gone on a date with me, is there? I just... I assumed that this was one, since you agreed to hang out with me on  _ Valentine's  _ of all days, but I guess I was wrong..." Akira murmured, not meeting Mishima's eyes. That... That sounded a lot like Akira had wanted to go on a date with Mishima. Which didn't make sense! There was no way Akira, amazing, incredible, wonderful Akira, had wanted to go on a date with Mishima, useless, annoying, waste of space Mishima-

"I... I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable..." Akira continued, oblivious to how Mishima was freaking out, "I... I get it. You don't like me like that, you just want to be friends, so on... I... I'm sorry-"

"If I didn't know better, Akira," Mishima cut him off, voice high and tight as he gazed up at his best friend and the one person he had ever loved, "I... I would think you  _ wanted  _ to go on a date with me..."

Several emotions flickered over Akira's face then, so fast Mishima didn't have time to process them. Eventually, though, Akira settled for cautiously hopeful (which made no sense???) and slightly apprehensive as he stuttered out, "I... I did - I do - Yuuki... I invited you today for a reason..."

That...  _ Oh. _ That made more sense than it seemed to have previously. It explained everything. It...  _ Oh.  _ That must have meant... But... I mean, Akira was so amazing, and Mishima just wasn't and... It made sense in context, but Mishima's brain couldn't compute the facts. It just... If anyone else had been involved, if anyone else had been in Mishima's place, it would have made sense. They would have been worthy of this. But Mishima? He was... just him. He wasn't anything special, he didn't deserve Akira, he-

"I... I get it, Yuuki. You don't like me. You don't have to say anything, I'm sorry for assuming-"

Mishima cut Akira off quickly, pulling him in for such a tight hug that it left Akira breathless. It just... Mishima hid his face in Akira's neck as he spoke, barely audibly babbling, "I... I thought you just wanted to hang out. I never thought you... I mean, you're so far out of my league, you know? I figured you just wanted a friend, that you could never like me, that it was impossible. I never thought you'd be interested-"

"I am," Akira insisted, cupping Mishima's cheeks and tilting his head so they could meet each other's eyes, "I've liked you for ages, Yuuki. But you... You only started to seem even slightly interested recently, so I figured I only stood a chance recently, so I asked you on a date, but I think we got our wires crossed somewhere because you didn't even know and I'm sorry I didn't outright tell you, I just-"

Mishima couldn't help but surge up, pressing a soft kiss to Akira's lips and silencing him. When it took Akira a few seconds to react, Mishima began to panic, worried he'd misread the signals or that Akira didn't want to kiss him or- Akira melted soon enough, groaning against Mishima's mouth and turning to putty. It... Okay, that was kinda a power trip... When Akira released a small, shivering sound, Mishima had to pull away. It earned him a quiet whine, but he was quick to shush Akira, murmuring a soft, "I... I don't think a book store is the best place for this..."

Akira blinked his eyes open slowly, pouting just enough that it took all of Mishima's willpower not to just push him against a bookshelf and ravish that perfect, plush, pink mouth... Rather than doing that, Mishima smiled up at Akira, a sweet, fond thing, and asked him, "Do you mind if I grab my manga then we head somewhere more... private?"

The subtle, delicate blush that dusted Akira's cheeks was just downright adorable as the former Phantom Thief nodded quickly, letting go of Mishima just enough to take his hand and tug him towards the 'B' manga section of the store. It earned him a bright, free laugh as Mishima followed, feeling high off of their kiss. It didn't take him long to grab the first three volumes of his manga and pay for it, and soon enough the pair were leaving the store as Marie called after them a bright, "Happy Valentine's!"

And really? It was a happy Valentine's. The happiest of either Mishima's or Akira's lives...

(At least, the happiest until years later, when Mishima got down on one knee and presented Akira with a ring. Until Akira kneeled in response and pulled out his own ring. Until a year after that, when they proclaimed their love for each other in front of everyone they cared for...) 

**Author's Note:**

> Can you guys figure out which manga Mishima is looking for?


End file.
